Russia has attacked a cruise missile factory in Ukraine to avenge the Moskva warship attack. The defense manufacturing facility that makes Neptune cruise missiles was bombed in Kyiv, reports said. Russia revealed that it targeted the Vizar plant in Kyiv as Moscow believes that Neptune anti-ship missiles are manufactured in the factory.
Reports had emerged that Ukraine used Neptune cruise missiles against the Russian warship. The attack came after it emerged that nuclear warheads could have been on the Moskva warship.
Two direct missiles had targetted Moskva when it was being towed to naval port Sevastopol in Crimea. The captain of the warship is also believed to have died in the attack.
Kyiv revealed that First Rank Captain Anton Kuprin, 44, was killed as Moskva was hammered by Neptune missiles.
Neptune Missiles
Neptune missiles have a range of nearly 300 km. Neptunes are radar-guided missiles and these are launched by coastal defense batteries. The missile is produced domestically in Kyiv and was introduced in 2018. It is developed by the Luch Design Bureau.
Ukraine also used a TB-2 drone to distract Russian naval forces from the launches of 2 Neptune missiles from launching sites in Odesa.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had immediately vowed to retaliate against the attack on the warship. He had promised to ramp up attacks against Kyiv.
Revenge Strike
Russian defense ministry had said that the number and scale of missile strikes on targets in Kyiv will increase in response to any terrorist attacks or acts of sabotage on Russian territory committed by the "Kyiv nationalist regime".
Last night, multiple strikes rocketed the Ukrainian capital. "3 explosions in #Kyiv right now. One after the other. The air raid warning has been on for an hour. Most likely #putin gone livid because of the #Moskva sinking," Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko tweeted.
Multiple videos have emerged showing the sky above the Ukrainian capital lit up by various explosions which appear to be the most serious attack after Russia withdrew from Kyiv earlier this month.
Other blasts were also heard in Kherson, the eastern city of Kharkiv, and in Ukraine's western city of Ivano-Frankivsk.
